Piano
by John Tennison. Percussion by Alex Ornelas and Nonjohn. Recorded
December 16, 2004. Liner Notes by Bill Scribner

Liner Notes

John "Nonjohn" Tennison (A.K.A. the “Texarkana Train”) was born on September 16,
1968 in Texarkana, Texas. Texarkana is located in the Red River Valley in
Bowie County at the far northeastern corner of Texas. Texarkana is
surrounded by piney woods and swamp lands that encompass the geographical area
known as the “Arklatex.” The Arklatex is so named because it includes the
confluence of three states: Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. According to
historical accounts, the Texas portion of the Arklatex was the fertile ground
where the piano style we now know as "Boogie Woogie" was first played, and where
the term "Boogie Woogie" transitioned from being a term for dancing and sensual
behavior to also being a descriptor for the style of piano music we now know as
Boogie Woogie.

Consequently, Tennison’s exposure to and interest in Boogie
Woogie is a direct consequence of his Texan Boogie Woogie heritage.
Tennison plays Boogie Woogie as a form of daily yogic meditation directed by his
spontaneous mental impulses. As a consequence, his Boogie Woogie
performances are in the spirit of "free jazz," and are therefore improvisatory
to the degree of not only improvising melody and rhythm, but also of improvising
harmonic changes and meter.

The album title, "Both Hands Like the Devil," was inspired by
a comment by Eubie Blake, who described piano player William Turk as having "a
left hand like God."

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